Anubisath
The anubisath are giant beings of living stone living in Ahn'Qiraj, Silithus and Uldum. The anubisath are constructed from obsidian, and enchanted to serve as the guardians of the qiraji capital of Ahn'Qiraj. According to an older account, the qiraji created them as their minions. Though with the recent discovery of the similar constructs in Uldum it is also possible that they are watchers of the titans, and may be enslaved by the qiraji like the tol'vir. History The trolls were the first mortal race to face the ancient, insidious aqir and survive against their might. After thousands of years the trolls succeeded in splitting the insect empire in half, sending them fleeing to the northern and southern reaches of Kalimdor. Over time the mighty troll empires collapsed, and while in Silithus the aqir slowly evolved into a new, terrifying race - the qiraji. According to legend, in the aftermath of the war, the Twin Emperors, Vek'lor and Vek'nilash, acknowledged a need for loyal soldiers of great strength to stand against any future opposition. It is said that the Emperors themselves oversaw the construction of the first anubisath in the ever-burning fires beneath Ahn'Qiraj - even so the massive warriors were not completed for millennia. When the Well of Eternity was destroyed in the War of the Ancients, the few remaining mortal tales of the once-fearsome aqir were lost, yet still the qiraji waited, biding their time to strike at an unprepared world. And so it was that a thousand years ago the Emperors once again commanded an assault to conquer Kalimdor. This time their newest weapons of war were ready, and the mighty qiraji demonstrated their strength against the prolific night elves, a lone Anubisath often smashing through an entire unit of sentinels. Though imbued with minimal intelligence, the colossal warriors proved to be highly effective killing machines. While the strongest of these constructs served as elite shock troops, General Rajaxx placed most of the anubisath on the front line, knowing that the massive warriors would strike fear in the hearts of the elves. During the war, as the elves faced impending defeat, the Archdruid Fandral Staghelm persuaded the bronze dragonflight to join the fray. Amid the frenzied battle outside Ahn'Qiraj, the dragons directed their wrath at the anubisath constructs. The few anubisath capable of casting spells were far from the front lines, and so the dragons were able to concentrate their attacks on the giants with little threat of being countered. Nearly every anubisath was destroyed in the initial assault, but among them one in particular would prove to be more resourceful than all others combined. Ossirian targeted one of the leaders, the massive dragon Grakkarond, and hurled his obsidian sword through the beast's wing. The crippled wyrm descended, crushing the Qiraji as it fell. The dragon mauled Ossirian nearly to death, but the remaining Anubisaths and Qiraji now had a target on the ground to focus on, and they swiftly converged and overwhelmed the noble dragon. When the mighty Anubisath awoke, he found himself transformed, his strength bolstered and his wounded head bound in the visage of a hawk. Emperor Vek'nilash himself explained what had occurred: Where all others had failed to find a way to counterattack, the Anubisath had succeeded. For that he received a gift; Ossirian's essence had been bound to several ancient crystals of distant origin, which would grant the Anubisath champion near invulnerability. There was a price for this boon however; Ossirian's life was maintained by the crystals, and if he should ever stray too far from them, the Anubisath would swiftly die. As others learned of Ossirian's survival, the Anubisaths began to refer to him as the "Unscarred", revering him as a nearly invincible hero. Myth Both the name and appearance of the Anubisath are a reference to the Egyptian deity Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification and one of the gods who presides over the afterlife. Ossirians appearance is a reference the ancient Egyptian deity Horus, god of kings, war, protection and the sky, among other things. Trivia/Notes (TBA) Credits *The entirety of this article comes directly from Wowpedia. The article can be viewed here. *The artwork on this article is official and was created by Blizzard Entertainment and/or their affiliates. Category:Creatures Category:Constructs Category:Giants